Backwater valve



March 4, 1952 s, WEISMAN 2,588,188

BACKWATER VALVE Filed Jan. 8, 1951 IN V EN TOR. Sam Weisman Patented Mar. 4, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BACKWATER VALVE Sam Weisman, Detroit, Mich.

Application January 8, 1951, Serial No. 204,906

2 Claims.

Be it known that the undersigned has invented certain new and useful improvements in backwater valves of which the following is a speciiication.

This application relates to backwater valves and discloses a backwater valve which is insertable into the cleanout opening of an already installed sewer system and is manipulable from outside said system for releasing or blocking a sewer line at a point well below and remote from the cleanout opening of said system into which the device is installed.

Backwater valves are devices useful with sewer systems to prevent gorged street sewers from flooding basements or the like. Particularly, however, does this application relate to a backwater valve construction in the form of a. unitary device insertable into the normally provided cleanout opening of the sewer system and adapted to be manipulable from outside the system to block off or release the system at a point well below and generally laterally remote from the cleanout opening.

Such device is intended to be installed in an already existing system, replacing the threaded cap normally provided in the cleanout opening. Once installed the device is manipulated for adjusting the location of the sewer closing portion thereof with respect to the cleanout opening so that a suitable part of the sewer system may be blocked on by the device when manipulated from outside the system. The device is intended to remain in place, and once initially adjusted as to location of the sewer line closing portion thereof, is intended to remain in adjustment. The device is intended to be manipulable from outside the system normally to permit the sewer line to remain open, but manipulable at will to block off the sewer line when there is danger that the gorged sewer will flood the basement or any other area.

For an understanding of the device, reference should be had to the following specification which describes it in detail and which in turn refers to the appended drawing.

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a conventional sewer system with which the device is adapted to be used.

Fig. 2 shows the unitary device or backwater valve of the invention.

Fig. 1 of the drawing shows a sewer system having a main line I0, a Y I I leading to a branch line I2, the latter having in turn a riser I3 leading to a cleanout opening I4 in a basement iioor I5, with the cleanout opening being internally 2 threaded and normally closed by the externally threaded closure cap I6. Line I0 also has a trap I 'l leading to a riser l 8 having a cleanout opening I9 and a cap 20. Line I0 leads at 2| to the seepage tile and line I 2 leads at 22 to the plumbing fixtures. This construction is conventional. It is subject to the danger that when the street sewer or any other part of the sewer system is gorged, sewage will back up. It is to prevent such an occurrence that there has been provided the backwater valve of this application, which can best be understood now upon reference to Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 of the drawing shows a unitary device insertable into the system through either or both of the cleanout openings I4-I9 and manipulable as a unitary device for blocking the sewer line at any desired point as, for example, at either of the Ys A-B-D, or trap c, or riser at E. The unitary device is insertable into the system through either or both of the cleanout openings and is manipulable from outside the system for blocking the sewer line at any desired point, generally well below and laterally remote from the cleanout opening.

The device comprises an elongated tube having an externally threaded portion 30 which is threaded through an internally threaded central hole of an externally threaded closure cap 3|, whose threads complement those of the cleanout opening I4, whereby the cap 3| replaces the nor mally used cap I6. Cap 3| is formed with a supplemental or upper portion 32 and the portions 3I and 32 between them and together seat a swivel or ball element 33 formed with an internally threaded central hole 34, with whose threads the threads of the tube 3D mesh, whereby the swivel element 33 and the cap 3 I-32 together form a swivel stationary nut for the tube 30 when in the hole 34 and when the cap 3| is in the cleanout opening I 4.

.In some cases the swivel element 33 and its function may be omitted and cap 3I formed as a non-swivel threaded nut-like seat for tube 30 as well as a closure for the cleanout opening.

The tube 30 has its upper portion provided with a iixed handle 35 secured to it as by a set screw 31 whereby the handle 36 may be rotated to rotate the tube 30 in the nut-forming cap 3l. The lower portion of the tube 30 is formed as a flexible tube 38 and to its lower end .is fixed a plate 39..

Slidably disposed in the long tube 311-38 is a long exible cable 4I whose lower portion projects through and below the lower end of the 3 tube 38. To such lower end of the cable 4| is fixed a plate 42 as by means of a nut and thread 43. Between plates 39 and 42 is a thick heavy rubber ring 45.

The upper part of the cable 4| projects through and above the upper end of the tube 30 and is formed with an external thread, as shown at 46, onto which is threaded an internally threaded handle 41 which by virtue of its bearing upon the; upper end of the tube 30 forms a nut for the cable 4| whereby rotation of handle 41 slides the cable longitudinally in the tube 30-38 and moves the cable plate 42 to and from the tube plate 39 for longitudinally compressing and radially expanding the rubber ring 45 or for releasing the rubber ring 45 to permit it to return to its normal contracted condition. On the end of cable 4| is xed a handle 48 to be held, while rotating handle 41, to hold cable 4| against rotating with handle 41.

Handle 41 is formed as a cap to cap tube 30 and thus form a substantially gas tight fitting over such tube.

The tube handle 36 is manipulable for rotating the tube 30 in the nut provided by the parts 3|, 32, 33 for adjusting the location of the rubber ring 45` relative to the cap 3|.

While Fig. 2 shows tube 38 bent at 90, this is only for convenience of illustration. Normally the bend, as required by Fig. 1, will be only 45.

The use and operation of the device are as follows: When the normally present cleanout opening cap is removed from the cleanout opening, the device may be inserted into the system through the cleanout opening and moved so that the parts 39, 42, and 45 position themselves generally at the point of the sewer system which is to be blocked oi, or if the tube 30-38 and the cable 4| have been designed to be of sufficient length, parts 39, 42, and 45 will position themselves at another point of the sewer system, whereby the sewer system may be blocked orf at the selected point by the rubber ring 45 when the latter is expanded.

After the device is properly inserted into the system through the cleanout opening, cap 3| is threaded inplace and forms a permanent closure cap for the cleanout opening. Final adjustment'of the location of the rubber ring 45 in the sewer system may be obtained by manipulation of the handle 36 after the cap 3| is threaded into the cleanout opening |4, but preliminary adjustments may be made before the insertion of the device into the cleanout opening.

Normally, the handle 41 is so positioned that plate 42 is remote from plate 39 and rubber ring 45V is contracted, whereby the sewer system is in communication with the floor drain riser or other risers of the sewer system not here shown, and normally the point of the sewer system selected for blocking off by the device hereof is not blocked off and the sewer system functions as if the device were not present.

However, in the event it is desired to close off the sewer system at the selected point, as for example, when there is danger of flooding, or when4 indications of ooding have begun to appear, handle 48 is held and the handle 41 is rotated a few turns from outside the system, sufcient to draw the: plate 42 towards plate 39 and longitudinally compress and radially expand the ring 45 until it firmly engages-the sewer line at the. desired point and blocks off that: sewer line so, that sewage therein cannot back up 4 through the oor drain or other risers of the system.

When danger of flooding has passed, handle 41 is returned to normal so as to release ring 45 and to unblock the sewer system at the selected point.

The device hereof may be made in different sizes and lengths to vary the distance between cap 3|, whose location is determined by the location of the cleanout opening |4, and the rubber ring 45, whose location is to be at the point of the sewer system selected for blocking off the risers from the rest of the system. Thus, the flexible portion 38 of the tube 30-38 may be made anywhere from 20" to as high as 50" in length so as to make the overall dimension from cap 3| to ring 45 anywhere from 3' to 6', approximately, in length.

The rubber ring may be designed not only for sealing the sewer system liquid tight, but also, if desired, and if necessary, to seal the system gas tight and prevent sewage vapors from seeping back through the floor drain or other opening of the system.

It will be observed that the valve hereof will not be prevented from sealing properly by any obstacle in the line but will push such obstacle aside and function properly. It will also be observed that the device may be used as follows: a device X may be installed in riser |3 and/or a device Y may be installed in riser |8. Normally device X is positioned at D, or device Y at E, to permit normal plumbing ow towards point A from lines 22 and 2 I. When danger of flooding is evident, device X may be moved to B or A, device Y may be moved to C, to prevent back now at points B, A, or C from line I0.

One or two devices, as desired, may be utilized.

Now having described the device hereof, reference should be had to the claims which follow for a determination of the inventions of this application.

I claim:

l. For use with a sewer system having an opening formed for normally receiving a closure cap and having a sewer line well below said opening, a unitary device insertable into said system through said opening and manipulable from outside said system for blocking said sewer line at a point remote from said opening, said device comprising an elongated tube, a closure cap for said opening having a central hole through which said tube is inserted, means in said cap for providing a bearing for said tube in said cap, a handle on the upper end of said tube above said cap for moving the tube longitudinally with respect to said cap, the lower end ofv said tube being flexibly formed and having a plate xed thereto, a flexible cable slidably disposed in said tube with its lower end projecting through and beyond the lower end of the tube and having a plate fixed thereto, a thick heavy rubber ring between said plates, the upper end of the cable projecting through and beyond the upper end of the tube and having a handle for sliding the cable in the tube and thus moving the cable plate to and from the tube plate for longitudinally compressing and radially expanding said ring or for releasing it for contraction, said tube' handle being manipulable for adjusting the location of the ring relative to the cap bvflongitudinal movement ofy the tube in the cap, said tube and said cap being permanentlyl interlocked to enable them together to, form a unitary device, insertable into said opening as a unit, with said cap being stationarily. mountedi in said 5 opening to serve as a permanent bearing for said tube.

2. In combination, an elongated tube, a closure cap having a central hole through which said tube is inserted, means in said cap for providing a bearing for said tube in said cap, a handle on the upper end of said tube above said cap for moving the tube longitudinally with respect to said cap, the lower end of said tube being flexibly formed and having a plate iixed thereto, a flexible cable slidably disposed in said tube with its lower end projecting through and beyond the lower end of the tube and having a plate xed thereto, a thick heavy rubber ring between said plates, the upper end of the cable projecting through and beyond the upper end of the tube and having a handle for sliding the cable in the tube and thus moving the cable plate to and from the tube plate for longitudinally compressing and radially expanding said ring or able into said opening as a unit, with said cap being stationarily mounted in said opening to serve as a permanent bearing for said tube.

SAM WEISMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,213,226 Madden Jan. 23, 1917 1,747,933 Goodman et al. Feb. 18, 1930 Baldare June 12, 1934 

